52% feel tightened rules are 'just right'

A total of 52 per cent of people in Singapore feel that the tightened rules on social gatherings are "just right", while 25 per cent think they are too strict and the remaining 23 per cent that they are too lax.

These were the findings from a survey carried out by online market research firm Milieu Insight, which asked 1,164 people aged 16 and above for their views on Singapore's move to tighten rules on social gatherings.

Singapore tightened restrictions on social gatherings starting yesterday, when the maximum permitted size for such gatherings went down from five to two. Working from home is now also the default.

The firm also asked for participants' views on Singapore's Covid-19 strategy and which approach they favoured most.

Two scenarios were given: A Covid Zero approach to stamp out every case, and a Covid Endemic approach under which the country should aim to live with the virus.

Most participants - 43 per cent - said they would rather opt for "a hybrid of the two approaches", while 12 per cent remained unsure. The remainder were almost evenly split between the two scenarios.

When asked if the latest changes were consistent with the Government's long-term strategy for dealing with Covid-19, 48 per cent said they were at least somewhat consistent.

Another group of 46 per cent of respondents said they were at least somewhat inconsistent. The remainder said they were not familiar enough with the subject matter to have an opinion on the topic.

"As Singapore moves forward with its strategy of 'transitioning toward Covid resilience', it seems that there may be a growing divide in opinion around how best to tackle Covid-19 going forward," observed Milieu's chief operating officer Stephen Tracy.